


Welcome, Dear Traveler

by AceAceBaby



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Gen, I just really wish I could live in the Penumbra, POV Second Person, Please don't judge me, The Penumbra Podcast Season 1, Valles Vickey's Vixen Valley, dinner and conversation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27392164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceAceBaby/pseuds/AceAceBaby
Summary: You didn’t have a plan, but you ended up here anyway, and you were only going to stay for one night. At least that’s what you thought.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	1. Crossroads

You are at a crossroads in your life, you finally quit the job you hated, and now you are a free spirit. The only problem is, you don’t really have a plan. It was an impulse decision really, one you hadn’t planned for, but in the moment it felt right, and it’s too late to turn back now. You decide you need to take a brief trip to clear your head, and much like the past few days, you don’t have a plan. You get in your car, choose a direction, and start driving. 

You’ve been driving for some time, so when you look up, you see the sun setting on the horizon, and you realize you should probably find a place to spend the night. It only takes a few more minutes before you see a promising place. You pull into the parking lot as the neon sign glows a stark contrast against the now dark night sky, “The Penumbra.” It doesn’t seem to give any indication whether or not it is a hotel, but you go inside anyway, after all it is getting late. You walk inside the large wooden doors and a gentle, welcoming atmosphere greets you. In the background, you hear the ding of an elevator and the soft sound of light jazz playing in the distance. The walls are dark oak, which pairs nicely with the deep maroon carpeting. The lighting is warm and cozy, with a large fireplace in the center of the wall to your left. Straight ahead is a large, dark oak desk, with a figure behind it, and you slowly approach.

“Ah, good evening Traveler, and Welcome, to The Penumbra. I am at your service; here to assist however you may need. How may I help you this fine evening?” The man behind the desk says. His voice is smooth and gentle, the kind that makes you feel safe and comforted.

“I… I’m not sure,” you stammer, “I guess I’m looking for a room for the night.”

“Wonderful, just wonderful” the concierge replies as he opens a large, worn book in front of him, and scans the page until he finds the correct spot. “Ah yes,” he says, “we have an opening in room 217 if you’d like.”

You agree, and the concierge gently guides you to an elevator behind the desk. You travel up to the second floor, but it feels as if you were going up farther. He walks you down a long hallway, and as you walk, you can’t help but notice the paintings that line the halls. They all seem to be original oil paintings, and they give the place an antique and nostalgic feel that you haven’t felt in a long time. 

Before you know it, you are standing in front of a dark door with 217 in gold letters in the middle. The concierge lets you in, hands you the room key, and bids you a good night as he turns back down the hallway to walk back towards the lobby. As you turn into your room, you feel a sense of relief wash over you, and you suddenly feel at home. The room is the same dark oak, maroon style as the lobby, but the furniture in your room also has some cream accents. There is a large king-size bed in the middle, with a dark oak bed frame, cream bedding, and a maroon blanket at the foot of the bed to tie it all together. A large window opens up to a beautiful view of rolling hills that you can just barely make out the silhouette of against the sky lit by the gentle glow of the full moon. You place your bag containing whatever you could pack in the ten minutes before you left your house on a gorgeous wooden dresser sitting against the wall to your right. You look to your left and see a small bathroom, complete with an oil painting of rain boots in a garden hanging above the toilet. 

You collapse onto the bed and feel yourself start to drift off to sleep. You didn’t think you were that tired, but something about this place just makes you feel at home.


	2. Loss

You wake up to the gentle sound of rain against the window, and as you stir, you realize you haven’t slept that well in a long time. You sit up and look outside your window to see the soft, steady rain slowly rolling down the glass. You glance at the clock on your bedside table and realize that it is nine in the morning. As you roll out of bed, you can’t help but think about how wonderful this place is. You get up and get dressed, brush your teeth and wash your face, and wander down the hall to see what breakfast options there are. As you walk down the hallway, you notice the faint smell of something delicious in the air, and it gets stronger as you get closer to the lobby. When you arrive in the lobby, you notice an alcove across the room from the fireplace. You enter the alcove and discover where the smell was coming from, a small buffet complete with servers, and small round tables filling the floor in front of it. As you approach the counter, a smiling face greets you and politely asks, “What would you like for breakfast this fine morning?”

You decide on their pancakes; as you are pretty sure that’s what smelled so good, and sit down at a table near a window with your food. You take your time, savoring the pancakes that taste too good to be from a hotel and watching the raindrops slowly run down the window outside. The person from behind the buffet brings over a hot pot of coffee and a mug, sets it down in front of you, and carefully pours you a cup. You didn’t ask for it, but something tells you you didn’t need to and this place just knew. It sounds weird just thinking about it, and you quickly push the thought out of your head, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something special about this place.

You finish up your pancakes, and they quickly take away your dishes into a back room you assume is the kitchen. You turn to thank the staff, but by the time you look away from the window, they have disappeared, dishes in hand. You linger a little longer, even after you have finished your coffee, the moment is so pleasant, you never want to leave. Eventually, you get up and head back to your room; you know you will have to check out soon, but you want to enjoy your last bit of time here. You end up wandering the endless halls for the next few hours. It seems like there are endless rooms, and all the other guests you pass by seem so unique. You make your way back to your room, pack up your one small bag, and start to leave. Before you close the door for the last time you glance behind you, and at that moment, you feel a profound sense of loss like you have never experienced before. The door swings shut, and you meander your way back to the lobby, taking as much time as you can. 

When you walk into the elevator to ride down to the ground floor, you stop and take the time to notice every single detail about it. The dark oak walls that match the rest of the building, and the maroon velvet handrails that provide support. The large mirror on the back of the elevator that is framed in the same gold that your room number was, and the buttons that seem worn with years of use that echo the same antique feel as the oil paintings. The elevator reaches the lobby, quicker than you would have liked, and you step out into the reality that you are leaving this place. Despite your growing sense of sadness, you approach the front desk to turn in your room key. It surprises you when you see the same concierge as the night before, but you don’t think about it too hard, he must have just had an overnight shift. You turn in your key, and as you turn to leave, the concierge says, “I hope you had a pleasant stay, Dear Traveller, and we do hope you come again soon!”

You step out of the large wooden front doors, and suddenly reality hits you again. You are overwhelmed with a sense of dread, and when you finally find your car, you just sit for a few minutes. After a while, you work up the courage to start the engine and drive home. It is only as you pull out of the parking lot and start driving down the highway, that you realize you have no idea where The Penumbra was located, or even where you are right now. You keep driving, for lack of a better idea of what to do in this situation, and eventually by some miracle you arrive back at your house.

It is still raining as you step out of your car and into your house, and you can’t help but think about how much you miss The Penumbra already. It’s silly, it’s a hotel after all, but there is something about it, something that you feel connected to. But you aren’t there now, you are back at your house, and you have to face the grim reality of everyday life.


	3. Destination

The next few days pass uneventfully. You still are out of a job, and you aren’t sure how much longer you’ll be able to keep your house if you don’t find one soon. You’ve resorted to selling most of your stuff, and to be fair you’ve made at least a little money from it. Despite this, your life is still miserable. You wake up everyday on a mattress sitting on the floor, (you sold your bed frame to pay for this week’s groceries), clean your large, almost desolate house, and eat pathetic ramen. It’s only when you break your one plate that you stop and think about your life. Be honest with yourself, your life is shitty. No job, no friends, no nothing really, and it is at this moment, you realize what you have to do.

You pack up everything you own, it’s not that much considering how much you’ve sold, and sell your house. It sells surprisingly quickly, and once it closes, you take the money and start driving. You don’t have a plan, but what you do have is a destination. You don’t stop to think about anything, if you do you might realize how bad this idea is, you just keep driving. You don’t know where The Penumbra is located, but something tells you it will come to you. You drive for hours, much longer than you drove the first time, but you don’t stop. You can’t stop. You have to get to The Penumbra, whatever it takes. 

It’s eight hours of driving until you finally see in on the horizon, there’s no mistaking it, the large Victorian style building all alone on the edge of the highway, you know even from a mile away that’s where you are meant to be. You pull into the driveway, pull out your bags, and almost run to the door you are so excited! When you walk through those beautiful front doors and step inside, all of your worries and stress are left at the door. For the first time in a long time, you feel home, and something inside tells you that you will never have to leave. 

The whole interior is so comforting, the familiar darkness of the wood, the light jazz in the background, everything makes you feel safe. You walk up to the concierge desk, and it doesn’t surprise you to see that it is the same man who was working the first time you were here. He greets you in the same welcoming voice, “Ah, we meet again, Dear Traveler. What may I do for you this fine evening? Will you be staying long? Many of our guests do, and I know you will love every moment you spend here!”

“Actually, I...well I was wondering if there was any way that...I mean it sounds kind of stupid now that I say it out loud…” You fumble with your bags and almost knock over a mug of pens on the counter, you stop and think about what you were going to say next, and decide to play it safe. “What I mean to say is that I would like to stay here tonight, and I might end up staying an extra day, I don’t know for sure yet”. It’s not what you were going to say, but once you started talking, you realized it was a mistake. You know you can’t stay here forever, it just wouldn’t work. There was something different about this place, something you can’t pin down. But you decide that you were going to stay the night, maybe two, and then you will go back to the real world. You look up at the concierge, you didn’t realize you were looking down at your feet, but when you look up he is smirking, the look that someone gives you when they know something you don’t.

“I see,” he responds, “how would you feel about room 108?”

You agree, your room is on the ground floor this time, and you are excited to try out some services The Penumbra offers now that you have time. The concierge guides you to your room, it’s not very far from the lobby, and if you are quiet, you can still hear the soft jazz in the distance. You walk in and it surprises you to see that it is not like the room you had last time. The color palette was the same, with dark oak, maroon and cream, but the furniture was different. This bed was smaller than the last, but the beautiful wooden headboard was carved with intricate shapes and designs. This bed had simple maroon bedding, topped with cream throw pillows. Where the large window was in your last room, instead sits a large armoire, with the same beautiful carvings outlining the doors. You are momentarily disappointed by the lack of a window, but as you turn to place your bags next to the bed, you finally see what is on the other wall behind you.


	4. Beauty

You look behind you and see a beautiful mural covering the entire left wall. You back up, trying to see the whole thing, but you keep getting distracted by all the tiny details. When you take a closer look, it seems like the mural contains two distinct scenes, one on each side, which blend in the middle. On one side, you see a fantasy scene with the title “The Second Citadel” written in calligraphy in the upper left corner of the wall. It contains an amazingly intricate town with multi-leveled buildings lining the streets as knights ride on horses down them. Your eyes travel further towards the middle of the wall, and you see the outskirts of the town and a small hut. Even further and you see what looks like a swamp surrounded by trees, and in the middle, a gorgeous garden, and what looks like a house made of vines. Standing in the middle of the garden are three figures, a man and woman huddled up in the warm embrace of a large, four-armed lizard. 

Your eyes drift to the middle of the wall where the trees surrounding the swamp slowly morph into rock formations. Soon, the scene in front of you is entirely different. Instead of the lush grass and stone streets of “The Second Citadel”, you see what appears to be Mars, with red stones, and an enormous dome containing a futuristic cityscape. The title on this side appears to be “The Junoverse”. The font is the same calligraphy, but on the far right of the wall in front of you. Underneath the title, you see what appears to be a spaceship. It’s quite large, and standing in front of it you see a group of figures. 

Scanning the group of figures, you see a broad-shouldered older man with long white hair, and next to him two women holding hands, one with long red hair and a beautiful dress, and the other with a short bright green pixie and a leather jacket. Below them stand three figures, a rugged-looking shorter man in a turtleneck and trench coat, a tall lanky man in stiletto heels, a miniskirt with fishnet stockings, and a tube top, and finally a short woman with large curly hair and what appears to be a tablet in her hand. Your eyes drift back to the left, just a little, and you notice something you had not seen before. A sleek green sports car with the license plate RUBY7 driving alongside the group. The car itself didn’t look like anything special, but you just felt drawn to it. It’s almost like the car is calling to you, so you reach out your hand and touch it. The wall is cold and smooth. You aren’t sure what you were expecting to feel, but this just feels like a wall. You take a small step back, sit down on the bed, and just soak in the mural all at once.

After a few more minutes of staring at the wall in complete awe, soaking in all the details and intricacies, you finally check the time. According to the clock, you have been looking at the mural for two hours, but that can’t be right, it’s only been a couple of minutes. Regardless, you still have a few more hours of free time, so you decide to check out what services they provide. You walk across the room from where you were sitting in front of the mural, and over the bed. You see a small nightstand next to the bed, with a small lamp and a pamphlet sitting on top of it. You pick up the pamphlet and drop onto your bed to have a look. It doesn’t look like much sitting in your hand, it’s small and the design is fairly simple, but there is a beautiful simplicity to it you can’t exactly place.

You open it and scan the inside fold, and see a schedule of what looks like music groups. They must have live music in the lobby, you think, and sure enough at the bottom it says just that. Moving your eyes to the middle fold, you discover what you were looking for, a list of services The Penumbra provides for your comfort during your stay. One towards the bottom of the pamphlet catches your eye, “In partnership with Valles Vickey’s Vixen Valley, enjoy dinner and conversation with no strings attached. It’s the perfect way to spend the evening!” Intrigued, you look to see any more information about it, and sure enough there is a phone number. As you pick up the antique-looking phone on the desk, you realize your heart is pounding and your breath is shaky. You don’t know why you would be nervous, it’s not even anything important, just a phone call to set up an appointment, it’s not like you are giving a speech in front of a crowd or anything. You take a minute to control your breathing and calm your nerves before you pick up the phone and carefully dial the number in the pamphlet. The phone rings a few times, and for a second you wonder if you called the wrong number, or the information is wrong and outdated. Just as you are about to hang up, you hear an enthusiastic voice at the other end of the line, “Good Evening, you’ve reached Valles Vickey’s Vixen Valley, how may I help you this fine day?”

Their energetic tone catches you off guard, and you hesitate for a moment before replying, “I’d um, like to schedule an appointment? For dinner and conversation tonight, can you do that? ”

“Of course we can do that!” the voice replied gleefully, “Now I just have a few questions to help make your evening the most enjoyable for you.”

“Okay, I guess,” you answer hesitantly into the phone. You realize your hands are still shaking, so you gently sit down in the desk chair to steady yourself.

“Perfect! Now to start out, I’ll need your room number and what time you would like your dinner and conversation to arrive” 

“I’m in room 108...” you glance over at the clock and realize it is almost 6 in the evening. You aren’t really hungry so you opt for a later meal and ask, “is 8 o’clock to late?” 

“Not at all!” the voice replied, “Now what would you like for dinner, and who would you like to accompany it?” 

The question caught you off guard; you don’t know why. It makes sense why they would ask, but you hadn’t really thought of a reply. “Um, I don’t know, surprise me I guess” you reply, not sure if they will take it for an answer. You pause, expectantly waiting for a response from the other end of the line.

“Ooh, how fun, I don’t hear that very often!” the voice replies, “Well, everything seems to be in order then, dinner and company should arrive at 8 sharp, enjoy your evening!”

Before you have a chance to respond, they hang up the line. You don’t know what to expect for tonight, you aren’t certain exactly what you just agreed to. The one thing you do know however, is that in two hours you will have company, so you might as well get ready.


End file.
